The 1-Page Marketing Plan for Nonprofits

Todays tip from group trainer Steve Cebalt is about creating your marketing plan. Now dont bail out on me because planning sounds like a lot of hard boring work. It doesnt have to be that way, as youll see.

I once heard a football coach say, In life, you get what you think about.

That makes sense. Lets say you want to lose weight. You could simply state that your New Years Resolution is to lose 15 pounds. Good luck. But if you think it through, youll map out a plan of action.

3 days a week on the treadmill.
No ice cream after dinner.
Packing a healthy lunch instead of eating fast food every day.

Now you have a plan, and youre much more likely to succeed. Because as the coach said, you get what you think about. So lets think about marketing and write it up in a concise plan of action.

Let me show you one reason that I chose this topic. When you registered for this community, you completed a survey. As you can see, the survey shows that many small nonprofit organizations do not have a written marketing plan for your organization.

Now, thats not so bad. In many nonprofits, people work closely enough that goals are clear and things get done without a written plan.

But a plan can make you better. It can assure that you are thinking about marketing tasks that will contribute to your organizations most important priorities. With a plan, you will work more confidently and effectively, knowing that your efforts are making a difference toward the organizational goals that really matter.

On the website, you will find a template for a simplified marketing plan for your organization. It looks like sample in the video. All you do is identify the 3 top priorities for your organization in the next 90 days. As you will see in the tutorial on the website, the 90-day time horizon is a big key to success. If you want, you can get your boards input on the selection of these 3 priorities. Then, you simply focus on those 3 priorities with your planning efforts.

And the 1-page planning template that youll find on the website makes this planning process as easy as can be. One important part of the plan is a simple list of all the communications tools that you have. Newsletters. A website. Group e-mails. Letters in the mail. List all the ways you have to communicate. Then you simply match your communications message with the right tools, and before you know it, youve gone from having no written plan to having a very effective plan of action. Without any sweat, blood or tears.

It works like a charm, because now you will have the support of your leadership they will know that you are devoting most of your time to the things that they care most about.

Thats the essence of our simplified 1-page planning template. Youll find it on the website along with a complete tutorial on how to use it.

So thats all for this weeks tip. Be sure to download the marketing plan tutorial from the website. And watch for information on our next webinar. Well see you next time.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• nonprofit marketing plan
• nonprofit training
• philanthropic foundation